Murder In Your Backyard

Middlesex County Prosecutor Andrew C. Carey and South Brunswick Police Chief Raymond Hayducka announced a New Brunswick man was sentenced yesterday to serve the remainder of his life in a New Jersey state prison for stalking and fatally shooting his ex-girlfriend in South Brunswick on June 24, 2015.

Giver Quiroz-Vasquez, “aka” Gilberto Juarez-Vasques, “aka” Erick Morales Sandin, 28, was sentenced in New Brunswick by Superior Court Judge Pedro J. Jimenez Jr. to life in a New Jersey State prison.

The sentence was imposed after Vasquez was found guilty by a jury on all counts, on October 4, 2017, for stalking and fatally shooting Alicia Martinez-Izaguirr, 24, of New Brunswick. He was also found guilty of unlawful possession of a weapon and possession of a weapon with a purpose to use it unlawfully against the person of another.

Vasquez received the life sentence for the conviction on the first degree murder of his ex-girlfriend. The sentences on the stalking and possession charges were merged into the life sentence.

During a trial, Middlesex County Assistant Prosecutor Bina Desai and Middlesex County Assistant Prosecutor Simret Michael presented evidence and testimony showing Vasquez followed the victim from her new boyfriend’s house, waited for her while she stopped at Dunkin Donuts and fired at her car when she turned onto Docks Corner Road in South Brunswick. He then proceeded to follow her into the parking lot at 241 Docks Corner Road, where she worked, walked up to her car window and shot her twice in the head before fleeing the area.

Vasquez was traced the next day to New Hope, Pa., where he fled to in a borrowed car, and was arrested during an extensive investigation by South Brunswick Detectives Monica Posteraro, Eric Tighelaar, Dennis Yuhasz, and Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office Detectives Craig Marchak and Grace Brown.

Chief Hayducka said, “This team of detectives and prosecutors could not reverse the tragic loss of this young life, but their efforts made sure her killer would never walk free again.”

Editor’s Note: What’s missing is the beautiful face/photo of the victim. We don’t ask for this, it happens…and often, in our own backyard. We got the news this morning, and it was just up the street from our Red Dashboard LLC Publications office.

Moving Beyond Mars (anthology): A Voice for Victims/Survivors of Abuse, domestic and sexual